A contrast/contradiction to Bleu De Chanel

So I picked up Bleu De Chanel the other day as my everyday fragrance; casual and nothing unique or explosive.

However, I'm trying to find a fragrance that is almost the opposite of Bleu De Chanel for my nights out with the girlfriend and special occasions. I want something peppery with good sillage and longetivity. I liked Marc Jacob's Bang but the sillage was pretty much the only reason I didn't pick it up. Now I don't want something that is so strong that my neighbor next door comments about it, but something a bit stronger than Bang (even something smokey would work).

I was looking at Gucci by Gucci pour homme since it gives off a smokey scent and seems to project nicely. Anyone have suggestions?

Re: A contrast/contradiction to Bleu De Chanel

How much are you looking to spend? There are a lot of good niche recommendations to be made but a lot of them will set you back $150 or more.

In the sub $100 realm, there are still some good options:

Salvador Dali PH - the most badass scent, ever. Tar, dark and wilted flowers, pepper, and leather. Brutal, and yet elegant.
Azzaro Visit - a peppery, NUTMEG! beast. This thing lasts forever and projects like crazy.. very dry and spicy.
Terre d'hermes - pepper, bitter orange, and earth. Not my first choice for a "night out" scent but many do like it for that purpose. Longevity and sillage are top notch.
Gucci PH (the original, brown juice) - very peppery and woody. Some think it smells just like pencil shavings but I think it has a lot more depth than that. How much are you looking to spend? There are a lot of good niche recommendations to be made but a lot of them will set you back $150 or more.

In the sub $100 realm, there are still some good options:

Salvador Dali PH - the most badass scent, ever. Tar, dark and wilted flowers, pepper, and leather. Brutal, and yet elegant.
Azzaro Visit - a peppery, NUTMEG! beast. This thing lasts forever and projects like crazy.. very dry and spicy.
Terre d'hermes - pepper, bitter orange, and earth. Not my first choice for a "night out" scent but many do like it for that purpose. Longevity and sillage are top notch.
Gucci PH (the original, brown juice) - very peppery and woody. Some think it smells just like pencil shavings but I think it has a lot more depth than that.

Re: A contrast/contradiction to Bleu De Chanel

Um actually I was looking for ~ 65-75 for a 50ml bottle. Unfortunately my budget isn't that high.

I can go a bit broader. Anything that is good for fall/winter and a nice contrast to Bleu De Chanel would work. I really like Le Male but I'm a newbie to fragrance selection so I can't tell if Le Male is similar to Bleu de Chanel or not.

Re: A contrast/contradiction to Bleu De Chanel

Oops, sorry, I misread your initial post and thought you said that you did want something so strong your neighbor comments on it.

Well, Salvador Dali PH and Visit are both quite strong.. so, they may not be the best suggestions. What are some other scents that you've tested and like? Knowing your tastes a bit better could help us narrow down our recommendations.

Re: A contrast/contradiction to Bleu De Chanel

I tried quite a few fragrances out and so far the best I've liked are the following:

1) JPG Le Male - Absolutely LOVE this fragrance but I don't know if its different enough than Bleu De Chanel for it to work. Also, its probably the most overused-done-to-death scent out there
2) Gucci by Gucci Homme - I love the smokey scent from this fragrance. The only drawback from what most people have said, is that its not really geared for my age (I'm 21) and is kind of a 26/27+ group
3) Burberry London - Another great fragrance though I'm slightly disappointed by the sillage and longetivity on this one. I had a sample that I used and it lasted maybe 4-5 hours before being barely noticeable. Even after 1 hour people had to be right in front of me with their nose 3-4 inches away from my neck to get a whiff of the scent
4) Marc Jacobs Bang - I love this cologne but the sillage is awful. The scent is something I love though
5) Diesel Fuel For Life - Yes I know diesel is notorious on this site but I actually liked the drydown of Fuel for Life quite a lot. Decent sillage and longetivity

Re: A contrast/contradiction to Bleu De Chanel

Ok, disregard my earlier suggestions.

It seems that you like sweeter scents that still have some depth to them. I'd recommend checking out both "The One" by D&G and also the new scent, "The One Gentleman." Neither have great longevity or sillage but I find that they both last well enough on my skin.

Another scent you might want to try if you like Gucci by Gucci is Ralph Lauren's Romance Silver, which is similar but a bit lighter and a bit less smoky. I'd say it would be easier to pull off at 21, although I think that you'd be just fine wearing Gucci by Gucci, too. If you like it, wear it!

Re: A contrast/contradiction to Bleu De Chanel

I don't think they are too similar. Bleu de Chanel is more of a low-key, smells good but inoffensive, works everywhere but stands out nowhere type of scent, whereas Le Male does NOT work well for office or formal settings, but is best suited to going out or trying to really make a statement with the ladies (or men).

Re: A contrast/contradiction to Bleu De Chanel

I think you should try TERRE D'HERMÈS

Have I told you about the scent of jasmine? Have I spoken about the smell of the sea? The earth is scented. And I perfume myself to enhance what I am. That's why I can not wear a perfume that bothers me. Perfuming is an instinctive wisdom. And like all art, it requires some knowledge of yourself..."
Clarice Lispector ( 1920-1977) - Perfumes da Terra / Earth Perfumes

Re: A contrast/contradiction to Bleu De Chanel

Originally Posted by jonny19

no. Bleu de Chanel and Le Male are not similar AT ALL. Le Male is a fantastic fragrance. I highly recommend it

Thanks for the heads up. Although I agree with Le Male being an amazing fragrance, I only have a budget for one more fragrance and I'm using bleu de chanel as my every-day + casual get togethers. I need an elegant fragrance that I can use, for example, eating at a classy restaurant, or a wedding etc which Bleu de Chanel can be used for, but it really doesn't stand out as anything special.

Jonny, I never got a chance to test Burberry Brit. What is the difference between Burberry London and Burberry Brit and which would you recommend for situations listed above?

Also to Corrupted Sanity: I am new to fragrances in general, but from what I understand, sillage refers to how well a fragrance projects from you, specifically (usually) the neck. Fragrances with low sillage tend to stick to the neck and are subtle - such as Marc Jacobs Bang or Burberry London whereas those with high sillage project quite a long distance and can be smelled from even a few feet away. A fragrance, for example, that would have high sillage would be JPG Le Male.

Re: A contrast/contradiction to Bleu De Chanel

Originally Posted by CorruptedSanity

Hi
Whats silage mean? In perfumery.
Thanks

Sillage is how much the perfume projects off your body so that the people around you smell it.

Also, in terms of Bang's sillage, it's mostly Iso E Super, which is a sillage bomb. It's been covered elsewhere here, but the Iso E Super molecules are really large and almost immediately block your smell receptors, so you'll barely smell it on yourself, but everyone around you will still smell it. It's kind of a chemical trick.

For a classy, special event scent that can be found dirt cheap online, I'd suggest Encre Noir, if you can wear vetiver. You might think it smells a little "old" for you, but it projects a slightly dangerous, moody, grown-up aura that's pretty much the opposite of Bleu.

Re: A contrast/contradiction to Bleu De Chanel

TDH, sure. My recommendation is Bvlgari Man, my new wonder. To me, it is a hybrid of Gucci Rush (a discontinued fav) and Armani Attitude. BM is a really great fragrance in the since that it is light with a yin and yang approach of fresh and spice. I would think your lady will dig it.

Re: A contrast/contradiction to Bleu De Chanel

Originally Posted by Scentologist

TDH, sure. My recommendation is Bvlgari Man, my new wonder. To me, it is a hybrid of Gucci Rush (a discontinued fav) and Armani Attitude. BM is a really great fragrance in the since that it is light with a yin and yang approach of fresh and spice. I would think your lady will dig it.

+1 on Bulgari Man. Be sure to try it on your skin, though. On paper it smells sort of generic, but on skin it really comes alive. Excellent stuff.

Re: A contrast/contradiction to Bleu De Chanel

I really like Gucci by Gucci and I think that would work for me but from what I have read in other threads, is bleu de chanel and gucci by gucci similar in smell?

With Gucci by Gucci I get a smokey cedar kind of smell in the drydown; very different to the fresh scent from bleu de chanel. Again, I would like an opinion on this

I haven't tried on Bang, but speaking on a purely chemical level, anything heavy on Iso E Super smells way more strong to people around you than it does when you try to smell yourself. As a comparison, Terre d'Hermes has a ton of Iso E Super, too, so it smells smoky and dark to people around you, while it smells like dirty citrus and metal on skin.

Side note: Your question made me dig up my sample of Gucci by Gucci pour Homme - that mix of bergamot and pepper in the topnotes is actually pretty entrancing. I don't have a sample of Bleu, though, so I don't know if it's they're similar.

Re: A contrast/contradiction to Bleu De Chanel

Originally Posted by SculptureOfSoul

Ok, disregard my earlier suggestions.

It seems that you like sweeter scents that still have some depth to them. I'd recommend checking out both "The One" by D&G and also the new scent, "The One Gentleman." Neither have great longevity or sillage but I find that they both last well enough on my skin.

Another scent you might want to try if you like Gucci by Gucci is Ralph Lauren's Romance Silver, which is similar but a bit lighter and a bit less smoky. I'd say it would be easier to pull off at 21, although I think that you'd be just fine wearing Gucci by Gucci, too. If you like it, wear it!

wow. people must have REALLY different skin because on me, The One has ZEROOOOO projection and longevity. like literally 30 moniutes after application from my friends bottle i could not detect ANYTHING even if i pressed my nose against my hand

Re: A contrast/contradiction to Bleu De Chanel

Re: A contrast/contradiction to Bleu De Chanel

Originally Posted by rogalal

I haven't tried on Bang, but speaking on a purely chemical level, anything heavy on Iso E Super smells way more strong to people around you than it does when you try to smell yourself. As a comparison, Terre d'Hermes has a ton of Iso E Super, too, so it smells smoky and dark to people around you, while it smells like dirty citrus and metal on skin.